Ses's Story
by Coffeecup
Summary: Sesebia's story - her journey of life
1. The Beginning & The Pound

****

Ses' Story: Part One

__

by aizii

****

The Beginning  
I don't really remember the day my owner never returned. I was young and stupid, believing that my owner would be with me for life. How stupid was I? My owner was a young boy, around 12, with dark brown hair, haunted black eyes and a terrible temper. If he did not win on Meerca chase, or if he missed a trophy he felt he deserved, he would throw tantrums, destroying whatever he could lay his hands on and hurting those he cared for. Despite his fowl temper, I was never mistreated, in fact, my owner was convinced I was a battle star, and would constantly train me in the Battledome. 

However, one day, my owner, Pip, seemed to be in a particularly vindictive mood, his face a picture of thunder. He wondered round the house, furiously muttering under his breath, knocking over pictures and vases, the glass smashing onto our beautiful wooden floors. I walked behind him, picking up broken objects and dodging flying glass. 

"Pip, please calm down!" I cried, as Pip threw a large purple vase at the wall. As it smashed, glass went everywhere. Pip turned to face me, his eyes flashing with an anger I had never seen before. 

"Why should I you pathetic Shoyru?" he sneered. "After all, you're dumb. I own you." 

My bottom lip trembled slightly, but I knew he didn't mean it. Pip's temper got to him quickly, and he would lash out at whatever he could find. He would apologise later. Instead, I looked up at him, my eyes slightly glazed from unshed tears, my lips firmed into a tight smile. 

"Because…because you love me!" I said proudly. At that moment, my world fell apart. Instead of agreeing and apologising, Pip merely laughed. 

"Love you?" He smirked. "How could I love you. You're nothing but a pathetic creation; there are millions of pets like you in the world. I don't need you. In fact, I'm leaving Neopets. I'll go back to earth, and get a dog. Dog's can't answer back, unlike you." 

I inhaled sharply, and when I spoke, the words caught on the knot in my throat. 

"How…How could you say … that?" I asked, my voice shaking. I honestly believed that Pip would retract his words, pull me into his arms, tell me he didn't mean it, he loved me. Instead, he shrugged. 

"Quite easily." He shrugged. I bit my lip to stop the tears from escaping. I took a deep, haggard breath and said, 

"Fine then Pip, if that's how you feel. Go." 

Pip grinned at me. "I need your approval now?" 

I stared back at him, the tears now no longer threatening to fall; instead, cold anger had spread through me, hatred of Pip blinding my senses. 

"No, I just thought you'd like to hear something from your…friend." I replied, my words cold and hard. I could see the first hesitant fleet of doubt creep into the corners of Pip's eyes before they were cold and hard again. He caught my glare and replied, in a voice I had never heard before, 

"With friends like you, Sesebia, who needs enemies?" With that, Pip turned round and storm out of the NeoHome, leaving me sitting on our Zen sofa, raging with anger. After a few moments, I realised I was totally alone - Pip wasn't returning. That was when the tears fell… 

****

*** 

The next morning, I woke up to the sounds of banging downstairs. For a few moments, my sleepy brain thought it was Pip downstairs, worked up into a tantrum about something else. Yes, I thought, It's Pip. I'll have to go downstairs, make us some breakfast and calm Pip down…How can I calm him down? He's gone. I thought sadly, remembering the row and Pip's words. Despite my bitterness, I couldn't ignore the banging downstairs. Perhaps it was Pip back after all. 

"Pip, is that you?" I yelled, walking down the stairs. I started as I saw four boys, around 15 or 16, removing the furniture. All were dressed in black, their faces covered in black fabric. A fifth boy, around 10, too small to move anything, was spray painting the room, writing in large red letters, 

"You've Been Hacked Dummi" over the walls. 

I gaped at them. Immediately, two options sprung to mind. One, Pip gave out his password to the nearest stranger when he left the home. It seemed logical, as our house is password protected, and the door was not forced open. Two, Pip was really being hacked, and would come home to find our home in shambles and would almost certainly leave. As I trod on the next stair, it creaked loudly, catching the hacker's attention. The youngest boy looked at me in surprise, and as he spoke, it was slightly muffled. 

"He said he ain't got none pets," he said. I shuddered at his grammar - Pip had read me many books, saying brawn wasn't everything. It also told me what I had guessed - Pip had gone and told his password to the nearest stranger, he really didn't care what happened. Bitterly, I thought of him on earth, probably getting his dog. Good riddens, I thought hardly. No doubt he would get rid of the dog when he was bored too. 

"We'll disown it," A second boy said casually, rooting through our trophy cabinet. He stood up and brushed himself down. "That idiot even left his adoption papers here," He murmured, snatching them up. Looking at me, he motioned for one of the boys. I felt a collar being attached to me, and a lead being clipped on. Although I could have resisted, I didn't. I felt numb inside. 

The walk to the pound took forever. All the time, I was thinking only one though : Pip should save me I didn't deserve this. After all I put up with, with Pip, I was going to be disowned. Any record of me wiped out, no one to care for me. I wouldn't be adopted - no one wants a plain yellow Shoyru. As the eldest boy signed the disown slip, I felt Dr_Death pick me up. 

"Come on, Shoyru section," he said, expecting me to cry out to my 'owner'. Instead, I stayed silent, my face impassive and body tense. Dr_Death sighed. I think he realised I no longer knew or cared about my owner. With a last glance at the hackers, I closed my eyes, allowing myself to be taken to a place many pets never speak of. The pound. 

****

The Pound   
For the first week, I just sat at the back of my cage, too numb to speak. Dr_Death put fresh food in my cage three times a day, but I wouldn't touch it, merely glancing at it occasionally, to see whether it had been removed or not. Next to me, a young blue Shoyru sat, sobbing quietly. She couldn't have been more than an hour old when her owner, a newbie with good intentions, handed her over. The newbie, who she told me was called Lila, adopted 4 pets and quickly found she couldn't handle it. Not more than an hour after her birth, the Shoyru was disowned, along with her brother, a red Kougra and a yellow Draik. The Draik had been snatched up quickly, as it was rare and the Shoyru hadn't seen her brother since she was abandoned. 

"Who are you?" I asked quietly, breaking my stony wall of silence. The Shoyru started and looked at me. Her cage backed onto mine, and I could look though the bars to see her. She had pale amber eyes and a sorrowful expression. 'Kids like that don't deserve this' I thought sadly. 

"Kayz29603_" She said quietly, her voice choked with emotion. "You?" 

"Sesebia," I replied in an equally quiet voice. For a moment, we fell silent. Then I saw Kayz's paw sneak through the bar, and she grabbed my paw tightly. Her small face was shining with hope. 

"We'll be adopted, don't worry Sesebia!" she exclaimed. 

"I hope so, Kayz, I hope so," I replied, not voicing the growing doubt that pets like us aren't adopted, merely forgotten. I knew too well which pets went first - the cute pets, painted, high levelled and stats. Pets like us were left to rot. I wished I could be like Kayz, naïve and believed that people were kind. I knew it was a lie. Owners just left you when they felt like it, when a newer, better pet came along. Or in Pip's case, when they got sick of you. A new surge of anger built up when I thought of all the things Pip had done, and, to my dismay, I felt tears sting the corners of my eyes, hot and moist. 

I let go of Kayz paw and curled into a ball. 

"I'm going to sleep for a bit," I told her and turned my back to her. Not for the first time since I had got to the pound, I cried myself to sleep. 

****

*** 

"I'd like a Shoyru!" An obstinate voice said. I blearily opened one eye to see a young blue Wocky walking towards me, dragging a girl of 15 behind it. The girl looked tired and sad, glancing at the frightened faces in the cage with sympathy and … something else. I shook myself mentally - no use sympathising with owners, they'll just stab you in the back. 

"Hey, Aiz, come here!" The Wocky yelled, pushing its face up against my cage. I backed into a corner. I watched as the girl pulled the Wocky away by the scruff of its neck with an exaggerated sigh. She obviously had to put up with its … exaggerated excitement … a lot. 

"Ade, why are you always so difficult? This isn't a petpet stall or something. We aren't just choosing a cake," the girl sighed. She smiled at me, but I just glared at her. She didn't seem to mind, just glanced at the tag hanging limp from my cage. She pulled out some change from her pocket and started counting it. I could tell she hadn't thought it through, because most owners brought stacks of Neopoints with them, not a handful of change. 

"Hey…Sesebia…would you like to come with us?" the girl asked. I thought. I didn't want to go anywhere with her or her Wocky, but if she let me out of the cage, I could escape, run away to a land where no owners tread. Quick as a flash I made my decision. 

"Please miss," I replied as meekly as I could, the hatred of owners building in my throat only backed up my decision. The girl slowly opened the cage and pulled me out. The moment I was free of the cage, I opened my wings and spread them out as far as they would go. Then I flapped as hard as I could. I heard the girl scream and let go of me, as I hit her in the chest. I rose quickly to the ceiling, and, with a regretful glance at the girl, started out towards the door. The girl was doubled over on the floor, clutching her chest. The Wocky glared at me, her hackles raised. 

"Hey, you hurt my owner," she growled angrily. I almost laughed as I hovered over the chaos. This pet was so stupid - my owner? Pets like me don't have owners. Humans are our only enemies. 

"She'll live," I replied, flying towards the door. I stopped dead as I saw Dr_Death at the door, holding a large net above him. He glanced at the cage I had flown from before stating calmly, 

"You'll not get out. No one escapes fro the pound." 

I smirked at him. "Yeah. Get ready to change that because I'll be the first!" With that, I dived at him, teeth bared. I smiled as he dived to one side, fear and horror clearly written on his yellow face. "See ya later!" I yelled as I flew out of the door. Sweet freedom had never tasted so good. 

Breathing in a deep gulp of fresh air, I sighed contentedly. The pound disappeared quickly from sight, along with the memories of my time there. I grinned. Gliding softly, I headed out towards the fields on the boarder of Neopia Central. Freedom awaited… 

__

To be continued... 


	2. Circus Tales & Illusions

****

Ses' Story: Part Two

__

by aizii

****

Circus Tales   
I walked all night, finally reaching a small town as day broke. I knew I stood out there - an ownerless pet attracts attention, so I decided to try and blend in. Many of the pets, I could see, wore jeans, shorts or dungarees. I stole a pair of dungarees and a cap from a washing line, with a guilty glance through the window. Pulling the cap over my eyes, I looked more like a pet gone shopping than a run away from the pound. 

By the time I had reached the heart of the town, it was ten am. I was tired, hungry and miserable, still thinking of the girl whose trust I had betrayed. She deserved it though - all owners were like that, ready to break your heart. 

As I walked down a busy street, I noticed a young Aisha, with large blue eyes and a cheeky grin sitting on a wall, a pair of ragged jeans on its legs and a bandanna on its head. It gave me a cheeky grin and a wave as I walked past. It was chewing gum, blowing bubbles every couple of chews. 

"Hey runaway!" it called. I started and spun round, glaring accusingly at the Aisha. 

"Who are you?" I demanded. 

"Harriet0798," the Aisha replied with a grin. "Harry for short. By the way, I could tell ya were a run away because ya walk funny. Like someone's gonna grab ya or summit." 

"I do not," I replied hotly. Harry grinned. 

"Sure ya don't kid. I've seen owned pets do a better job. I'm surprised ya ain't done what most runaways do - go and join the circus. They need a pet to help train the Uni's, ask them, see if ya can help or summit. After all, ya look pretty smart." 

"Join the circus?" I replied in surprise. Harry rolled her eyes and handed me a small leaflet. The front page was of two Aishas, wearing navy and lilac leotards, jumping through fire hoops, whilst a nimble looking Lupe trapezoid in the background. Come see Circus Maloy and join the fun! It said. "I could do that…" I murmured. I looked up at Harry. "Can I keep it?" I asked. 

"Ya, sure. Go ahead." Harry looked behind her spitting out a wad of gum. When she looked back, I was gone. 

****

*** 

"Lemme get this straight, ya wanna try out for the circus?" A grand starry Scorchio laughed. "Ya a weaklin'. Ya couldn't do a thin'. Waista money." Seeing my desperate look, he relented and added, "I'll ask the boss, but I ain't promisin' nothin'." 

The boss turned out to be a young man of 25, with raven black hair, startling green eyes and a narrow mouth. He glanced at me before saying to a small Green Ixi, "You reckon Sarah would take her for the Uni training?" 

The Ixi looked at me once before nodding slowly. "She looks like she could ride them well, Shoyru's are good at balancing. She looks smart." Neither of these spoke like the Scorchio, their English tinged with a British accent. The Ixi was obviously respected by the man, for when his gaze fell on her, it was not of owner to pet, but of friend to friend. 

"Give 'er a go boss. She ain't got nowhere else ta go!" The Scorchio pleaded. 

"Sarah won't like it much, but I say we'll keep her." The man sighed. Turning to me, he said, "What is your name again?" 

I paused, "Sesebia sir." 

The man chuckled softly. "Sir, gosh, I wish I got that respect still. Everyone calls me Gary around here - no sirs for a circus ringleader like me." 

"Okay…Gary." 

****

*** 

Sarah turned out to be a girl of 14, with cropped auburn hair, soft hazel eyes and a knack for training wild Unis, one's that had never learnt the art of tongue. An expert rider herself, for a long time she had commandeered the Uni show, riding and performing tricks with them. But it had become old, and Gary had decided they needed something newer, or they might have to replace the show entirely. This is where I came in. 

"D'you have any balance?" was the first question uttered by Sarah. I shrugged. 

"I've never ridden before Miss," I replied. Sarah frowned and whistled sharply. A small white Uni trotted towards her, a saddle on its back. Sarah grinned fondly at it and patted its nose gently. 

"This is Isabelle, my most trusted Uni. I've had her since she was a tiny Foal, not an hour old. She never learnt to talk, which was a shame, but she's probably the best friend I had. I want to see if you can try and ride her. I'll teach you a basic trick, most people can perform it with a little practice - standing on the saddle." 

"Yes miss," I replied, nerves increasing. 

Sarah frowned again. "Stop calling me miss - it's Sarah." She sighed. "What is it with newbies and politeness?" 

I shrugged. 

****

*** 

As Isabelle trotted round the ring, I struggled to stand on the saddle. Sarah had made it seem easy, nimbly jumping up and down as Isabelle cantered around the ring. And yet, even at a slow trot, I was unable to get further than my knees. Fears had overwhelmed me to the point where I almost choked, and Sarah could tell my nerves were building. I knew my fears were stupid - I was clipped onto the roof of the circus by a harness, so if I fell, I would dangle behind the Uni, and yet the thought of falling off made me shiver. 

"Isabelle won't chuck you," she promised, as I fell off again, fear locking me into a kneeling position. 

I gave a tremendous sigh, and climbed back on the Uni. I was going to learn to ride it if it killed me, and the rate I was going, it wouldn't be soon off… 

****

*** 

"YES! GO SES!" Sarah yelled as I finally stood shakily on the saddle. I flung my arms up and beamed, my expression quickly changing to horror as I promptly fell off... For the last hour, I had managed to progress to standing, with Sarah yelling words of encouragement to me. She had started calling me Ses, something no one had done before. I didn't mind my new nickname; in fact, it had started to grow on me. 

"I did it!" I yelled excitedly, unclipping myself from the harness and falling to the floor. Brushing earth off my crumpled dungarees, I shakily stood up. My cap had long before fallen off and the dungarees were now torn and earthy. 

"Perhaps we should focus on sitting down now…" Sarah said thoughtfully, grinning at my appearance. 

****

*** 

By the end of the day, I had managed to be able to trot around the ring, stand up and balance on one leg before slowly sitting back down and dismantling. Sarah was pleased at my progress; the three pets that had previously tried out for this job had not managed to stand on their second or third day of training. I had one week to prove I was better than anyone else was, and so far, I think I was doing well. 

As we walked towards the mess tent, I could smell the stew wafting towards us. I sniffed the air eagerly and sighed. For once, I finally felt content. 

****

Illusions   
For a while, I lived with the circus. I spent my days learning new tricks with Sarah, and my nights performing in the ring. Gary grew to praise me and Sarah was pleased with my progress. Each night, I stepped into the ring wearing a tight sparkling leotard with a lilac frill. My skin was sparkled with body glitter and light gold eyeshadow decorated my eyes. 

Out of the Uni's, I had one favourite. It was a tall, faerie Uni named Alex. Alex couldn't fly, despite his handsome wings. He also couldn't speak, but was intelligent and learnt tricks quickly. I could jump, somersault forward and land on Alex's back neatly. Alex could time how far I would travel and could trot forward at the right speed to catch me. This had become a popular trick in the ring, and guests would cry out for the trick. 

I was currently learning a new trick - a handstand and flicking over into a somersault, landing on Alex's back. I wasn't clipped, so landing on the ground hurt, with nothing there to catch me. 

Sarah was yelling at me, telling me stuff I already knew - pace myself, feel the rhythm etc.… I stood up, casually glancing at Sarah. I flung my stubby arms into the air, grinning at an imaginary crowd. I learnt quickly that presentation is the biggest flaw, and crowds soon grow bored of a sullen act. So everything I did was to be with the biggest grin possible and I was to show off to the max. 

"OK…now!" Sarah yelled, and I flung myself into a handstand. I could feel Alex's rhythmic trot beneath me, and I started counting how long before I somersaulted. I was to hold it for 10 seconds before a somersault It was a difficult move, and I had been practising it all morning. 

"Hurry up Ses!" Sarah yelled. I didn't' reply, concentrating fully on the task ahead. Slowly, I flicked over, landing on my knees with a grunt. This time, I didn't fall off though. Despite the sloppy landing, I felt proud. I stood up and turned to the "audience" grinning widely, arms above my head. 

"That was sloppy Ses," Sarah said as I jumped off Alex's back. I nodded and replied, 

"Yeah - my hand slipped as I landed. Sorry." Sarah grinned. 

"Hey, it's still good," she replied. I grinned. 

"Shall I try again?" I asked, walking back towards Alex. I heard Sarah sigh before she replied, 

"Go for it." 

****

*** 

I always felt great stepping out into the ring. The crowd roared and clapped as I stepped out, waving and holding Alex's lead with one hand. I felt great, my heart pumping and adrenaline pump throw my veins. 

"Sesebia and her Uni…ALEX!" Gary yelled. I stepped out to the middle of the ring, unclipped Alex and threw the lead to Gary, who caught it with a grin. I saw him mouth 'good luck' I knew why - tonight I was trying out my new trick for the first time. Despite my excitement, I was nervous. 

I lightly leapt onto Alex, tapping his sides to make him jolt into a light trot. I rode around the ring once gaining my balance. Riding bareback was annoying, but the tricks were impossible on a saddle. I waved as we trotted round the ring, beaming as they applauded. 

With a grin, I pulled my legs under and rose to my feet in one movement. The crowd applauded again. 

"Don't let me down Alex," I murmured and tried our first trick. It was pretty simple - just a jump really. The crowd gasped and applauded as I landed on Alex. Now was the harder stuff. I had three tricks left - a handstand, somersault and my handstand flick. None of them were things I particularly enjoyed doing, but it made good entertainment, according to Gary. 

The first trick went well, although the handstand was a bit shaky. My nerves were increasing. All day I had been practising my latest trick, but I kept falling to my knees. It would ruin it if I did that on the night. Sarah had told me it was nerves, and I would get it with confidence, but I wished I wasn't doing the trick tonight. I'd rather take on all the Uni's that do it. 

The second trick was fine; it was an old trick. The somersault was timed perfectly, and, unlike other times, I didn't wobble as I landed. I grinned, although my nerves were building rapidly. 

"Okay Ses, don't muck up," I thought, and stepped forward into a handstand. "10… 9… 8… 7… oh no… 5… 4… why?… 2… don't muck up… go!" I thought and kicked over. I knew I had missed straight away, even as I was flipping. I knew I was crooked. 

The crowd took in a breath as one as I missed Alex and landed on the floor, falling heavily on my side. One thought ran through my mind as Gary and Sarah ran over - I'm going to be kicked out for sure… 

__

To be continued... 


	3. Back to the pound

****

Ses' Story: Part Three

__

by aizii

****

Back to the Pound  
Two weeks later and Gary was still mad. Not because of falling off, but because I had performed the trick without properly preparing it. As Sarah tried to explain, it wasn't me but her, but Gary was having none of it. He sent Sarah back in to perform, and I was left to tend the Uni's. I was bored, tired and sick of being a scrub Mynci. 

"Ya look sad," the starry Scorchio, named Qwerti, said one morning, as I mucked out the Uni's stables. I sighed and rolled up my shirtsleeves - they kept falling down. 

"Yeah, but it can't be helped." I sighed. I saw Qwerti shrug and smile mysteriously. "Can it?" 

Qwerti looked around as if someone was listening and lowered his voice. "I'm tryin' ta talk ta Gary 'bout lettin' you back in the ring," he said quietly. "As a tightrope walker." 

"Wow cool!" I exclaimed loudly, hurriedly dipping my voice as Qwerti made furiously quiet motions. "Sorry," I whispered softly. 

"Don't get ya hopes up yet," Qwerti replied, smiling. "It's just a thought." With that, he left, whistling loudly as though our conversation never happened. Through a gap into the big top, I could see Sarah ride Isabelle round the ring, trying to get a new move. With a jolt, I realised then just how much I missed that, and sighed. 

"No use crying over split milk," I muttered and carried on mucking out the stables. 

****

*** 

"Hey Ses!" a voice said behind me. I jumped and dropped the bucket of water I had carried from the well to the Uni's stables. Half the bucket emptied over my feet before I grabbed the handles and pulled it upright. 

"Jeff!" I said, groaning. "Look what ya made me do!" 

I heard Jeff chuckle, a deep, echoing chuckle that could bring a smile to the most sullen of faces. I turned around to see Jeff standing before me. Jeff was a large Skunk Krawk, found one night when the circus was travelling. Jeff had quickly rose to become a stage manager (technically, he ran around yelling at people to 'move their butts onto the center before I kick you there' but he always referred to himself as 'stage manager') 

"Gary wanted me to tell you that he's trying you out for tight rope walking. He said you better not make an idiot out of yourself again, or you'll be back mucking stables 'til your 80," Jeff said, giving me a lop sided grin. 

I beamed at Jeff. "Do you reckon I should go see him?" I asked. Jeff shrugged. 

"It's up to you. He looked pretty unhappy about something though," he replied. I tipped the bucket of water into the trough and put the bucket down with a large clunk. I straightened up and wiped my wet hands down my overalls. With a sigh, I decided I'd go and see Gary. Better sooner than later. 

****

*** 

"Hey Gary." I grinned, walking into the ring. Sarah was on Isabelle again, riding swiftly round the ring, standing tall on her back, Gary was staring directly at her, but I could tell he wasn't watching her. "Gary?" I asked hesitantly. He looked at me, instead of the jolly eyes he usually had, they were sullen. "You okay?" 

Gary sighed and smiled half-heartily at me. "It's not me that you should be worried about Ses," he said sadly, glancing at the two Aisha's walking on a tightrope above us. "It's you lot." 

"What do you mean?" I asked, frightened by his words. Gary looked hesitantly at Sarah, who had stopped riding and was looking at me with sad eyes. 

"We got a call from the Council. We've got too many pets per person. About 20 more than we should. We don't actually own many pets Ses," Gary paused, allowing his words to sink in. "We'll be shut down unless we find homes for you and the others." 

My heart almost stopped - I knew what Gary meant. He had to take us to the pound. "Isn't there anyway to keep us here? I don't want to leave the circus," I said frantically thinking of a solution. I couldn't leave the circus; I had nothing else to look forward to. 

"I'm sorry Ses. Sarah and I are taking you and the others tonight. The pets getting disowned are being informed now," Gary paused, looking directly into my eyes. "I wish there was some other way." 

'Yeah,' I thought bitterly, 'I bet.' 

****

*** 

They took us in a large car to the pound. Several large cars. Alex, Jeff, Qwerti and I were among the 'lucky' few to be chosen to be disowned. I noticed bitterly that Gary's green Ixi was not among us. I was stupid to have trusted Gary, I thought. 

Finally, the pound loomed up in front of us, looking tall and far scarier than I remembered it. Inside the glass double doors, I could see Rose and Dr_Death talking quietly. They watched in mute horror as Gary unloaded us all. 20 straggled, unhappy pets walked slowly into the bright hall, headed bowed. Some were crying. Others, like myself, were glaring at Gary in muted hatred. Some were bewildered - unsure of whether to be scared, angry, upset or all of them. 

"Adopt or…er, disown?" Dr_Death said. I saw his eyes glance at me and I knew he remembered me. 

"Disown," Gary said quietly. Slowly, he filled out all our forms, signing each one with an air he was signing our death warrants. 'He might as well be,' I thought bitterly. 

"I'm sorry guys," Gary said, as he finished signing each one. He turned round and faced us. "I am really sorry. You know we wouldn't do it if we had another option." That ended it. With an anger I hadn't felt since Pip's last outburst, I yelled shakily. 

"YEAH YOU WOULD!" Gary looked shocked as I continued, yelling. "YOU'RE JUST LIKE ALL THE OTHER OWNERS - SPINELESS. YOU JUST HATED US!" 

Gary looked sad, but my anger stopped me from caring. With one last glare, I walked over to Dr_Death, and said, "Take me to my cage. I don't want anything to do with people like him." I spat the last word as if it was a disgusting swear word. 

With a sigh that told all his emotions, Dr_Death led us off, leaving Gary to watch our retreating backs. I knew I wasn't the only one with no emotions. And I knew more were not sorry to see the last of Gary. 

****

*** 

"That girl's been here everyday since you hit her." Kayz hadn't been adopted yet. I was taken back to an adjoining cage with her. Kayz had changed since I was last here. She seemed tougher and took care of herself more. 

"Which girl?" I asked, not really caring. 

"The one with the Wocky. She's been asking about you ya know," Kayz told me. 

I shrugged. "So." 

"She might adopt you," Kayz said softly. I glared at her. 

"I don't need adopting," I spat angrily. "I like being here. No stupid backstabbing owners in sight. Remember that Kayz - no owner is better than a backstabber. The pound's the best place for pets like us - we know the truth!" 

I saw Kayz sigh sadly and turn away. 

"I think you're wrong Sesebia." 

****

*** 

The girl came in at midday, the Wocky trailing behind her. I noted that the Wocky was now Rainbow and had a scowl on her face. She stopped at the desk and said something to Dr_Death. He nodded and pointed at my cage. She looked directly at my cage before pulling out a large coin bag and asking something else. He replied and the girl started counting change. 

By this time, the Wocky was bored and wondered off towards me. 

"Hi, who are you then?" She asked. I ignored her turning my back on the rainbow Wocky. She sighed and continued. "I'm Aidhru. Ade for short actually. No one ever calls me Aidhru. That's Aizii - she's my owner." I laughed and looked at Ade. 

"Owner?" I laughed. "Owner? Owners are nothing but backstabbers! I've never met a decent one. Start counting the day's until your owner disowns you Wocky." 

I saw Ade take in a deep breath before she replied, "Aizii isn't like that. She's kind. You'll see." 

With that the girl walked over to me, hands deep inside the pockets of her jeans. Slowly, she undid the cage and stood back, her eyes never leaving mine. 

"Fly away if you must," she said. "But I want to give you a home. Choose now, I won't stop you." She took a step back, allowing me passage to the door. Dr_Death was watching us with beady eyes, waiting for one of us to move. Slowly, I stepped out of the cage and flapped hard, hovering at the girl's eyesight. 

"You'll just disown me like the others," I said softly. The girl shook her head. 

"I'll never disown you. And that's a promise." Ade nodded. "And I never break a promise." 

With that, she walked off towards the door, Ade hovering at her feet. I glanced at Kayz, giving her a smile that said 'I'll be back' and flew off towards the girl. As I caught up with her, I said, "What's your name then?" 

The girl turned round and smiled at me. "Aizii." 

__

To be continued… 


	4. Clifftops

****

Ses' Story: Part Four 

__

by aizii

****

Cliffs  
Life seemed to jumble when I got home. Aizii had obviously been waiting for me to return - my room was decorated, a Petpet was waiting me and a package was lying on the table, wrapped up, with a yellow tag with "Sesebia" scrawled on it. 

"What do I do with it?" I asked, staring at the yapping red dog running around my feet. It was bright red, with small devil horns poking out of its head and a long red tail with a pointy tip protruding from its back. 

"It's a Petpet," Ade said eagerly. "You name it and then it's yours. You have to feed it, train it and play with it. Mine's Kate." 

I glanced at the yapping puppy and smiled. She reminded me of someone I had once known; a young Yellow Shoyru named Daffodil. She had never stopped talking and was always on the move. 

"Daffodil," I said simply. Ade looked at me curiously, like I was going insane. "I'll call her Daffodil." 

"If you must…" Ade said, raising her eyebrows. 

****

*** 

The parcel turned out to be a paintbrush. Not just any paintbrush either. Pale blue, with large purple stripes through it, Ade informed me jealously that this was a striped paintbrush, an expensive, rare item that changes the colour of the pet. It was a once use item, so Aizii didn't get any money back from it, but she didn't complain once. 

Aizii took me to the rainbow pool, where a faerie dipped the paintbrush in the pool. The water was a bright, crystal blue and my reflection was perfect. The Faerie turned to Aizii and smiled. 

"Would you like to paint her?" she asked softly. Aizii's face broke into a grin and she nodded excitedly. The Faerie turned to me. "It won't hurt, I promise," she said. I smiled nervously at her, and watched as Aizii painted her wings, my reflection changing as I did. First my wings changed, going from a dull yellow to a vibrant, crystal blue. The flesh turned a lilac pink. Then she painted my arms and legs, the limbs turning crystal blue, lilac stripes interrupting it. Lastly, my head and body was painted, engulfing my whole body in crystal blue and lilac stripes. 

"Wow…" I muttered, examining my new colour in the pool. Just as I turned round to thank Aizii, I heard a yell. 

"SESEBIA!" I watched as a familiar looking Shoyru ran towards me, her eyes blazing. The Shoyru was in the process of being painted Starry, but hadn't been completed. Half of the Shoyru's body was a dark, navy blue, with golden stars dotted across the body. The other half was a lighter blue, plain and simple. She grinned at me. "It's Kayz!" she exclaimed. 

"You found an owner then," I said, amazed. She nodded at me and pointed at a young boy, who was talking earnestly to Aizii. "He's called Pip, and he's great." 

My heart stopped dead. The boy turned round and looked at me. It was Pip. His hair was slightly longer, but his eyes were still haunted and his hair still a dark brown. He smiled and started to walk towards us. 

"Sesebia! Oh god, I thought I'd lost you. I'd been looking for you for ages!" Pip exclaimed, beaming at me. I turned away, a strange mixture of emotions flowing through me. "Sesebia, please, come back. I was young, stupid. I didn't realise you had been gone 'til I got home and found the house hacked. Oh god Sesebia, I'm sorry!" 

I glared at Pip and tried to swallow the lump in my throat. "You told the hackers to hack you. You liar! I know what you did. Leave me alone. Find someone else. I have an owner now." 

Pip glanced at Aizii and bent down towards me. 

"She's got nothing compared to me Sesebia. Remember our trophies, our money. Come on Sesebia, come home," Pip tempted. I bit my lip and shook my head slowly. I glanced at Aizii, who was hovering a metre or so behind nervously. I realised then that I liked Aizii, I didn't want to be with anyone else. 

"I'm sorry Pip, I belong to Aizii. Go get another scrub Mynci, just not me." 

With that, I walked off, leaving Pip and Kayz behind me. Aizii looked at me and patted my head reassuringly. "Home," she said softly, and we walked off. 

****

*** 

"Are you all right?" Aizii asked over dinner. We were sitting down in the dining room, eating omelette. I had a cheese omelette, whilst Aizii was picking at a pepper one. Ade hated every omelette except Sausage, and so was eating it greedily. 

"Fine," I said quietly, picking miserably at the omelette. 

"Not hungry?" Aizii asked, concerned. 

"No, I'm fine," I repeated. 

"Sure?" 

"I'M FINE!" I yelled angrily. Silence fell over the table and we continued to eat. After dinner, I expected I would be left to cool off, but, instead, Aizii came over to me, holding a set of hat and scarf. 

"Come on," she said. "We're going out." 

"Where?" I asked, refusing to put on my scarf or hat. 

Aizii ignored me, pulling on a coat. She glanced back at me and, seeing that I hadn't put on either garment, she added, "You'll be cold if you don't put it on you know." Reluctantly, I pulled on my hat and wrapped the scarf around my neck and followed Aizii out of the house. I didn't know where we were going, but I hoped it wasn't the pound. 

****

*** 

We ended up on the top of a steep cliff, the wind howling and chilling us to the bone. Aizii was right - I would have been cold without my hat and scarf. Below us, the sea crashed into the rock. Aizii went and sat at the edge of the cliff, her legs dangling over the edge. 

I slowly edged towards her, frozen by the long drop below us. Aizii was staring at the slowly setting sun, neither smiling nor frowning. 

"How can you sit like that?" I asked carefully. Slowly, I sat down next to her, although my legs stayed firmly on the ground. 

"I'm not quite sure," Aizii said, never taking her eyes off the sun. "I just don't look down - I'm actually terrified at the moment." I knew she was telling the truth by the tightness of her body and the way her hands tightly gripped the earth. 

"Why are we here?" I asked. This chit-chat was lovely, but I knew Aizii was thinking of something else. Aizii's shoulder's dropped and she turned to face me. 

"I want you to tell me what's wrong," she said simply. 

"What's wrong," I repeated. Aizii nodded once. I turned away, thinking. What was wrong? I hated most humans, but I have a reason. I thought I was safe with Gary and Sarah, I was wrong. I thought Pip loved me, I was wrong. Nothing was wrong, I was wrong. I shrugged and stood up, still faced away from Aizii. 

"Ses." I turned round. 

"I am not Ses!" I said angrily. Aizii looked like she could kick herself. Relenting slightly, I muttered, "I was called Ses by Sarah. She got rid of me. I was called Sesebia by Pip. He got rid of me. So what can I be called? I suppose you'll get rid of me." 

Aizii stood up abruptly, an emotion flashing in her eyes I hadn't seen before. A mixture of hurt and anger. In a tight, clogged voice, she retorted, 

"I don't disown pets," she said. "And I won't disown you." I sat back down and looked out at the darkening sky, not really seeing anything. Hot tears stung the corners of my eyes. It wasn't because I was upset - it was because I was shocked. Aizii's words were spoken by someone who believed what she said, so fiercely that it affected her to be accused of it. 

"Call me Ses," I said suddenly. Aizii sat down next to me. 

"What?" 

I took a deep, shaky breath. "Call me Ses." 

"Okay…Ses," Aizii paused. "What d'you say we go home?" 

Home. My home. I knew then where my home was. It was with Aizii and Ade. "Yeah," I smiled. "Let's go home." 

****

The End 

Wait! Sesebia still lives with Aizii, Ade, Kate and Daffodil. Now, Drakona14 has joined them, along with his Blue Alkenore, Barney. Drak, a Halloween Kougra, was also adopted into their family, found during a stormy night. But that's a different story altogether… 

****

Fin 


End file.
